This invention relates to painting products and in particular to an attachment for paint containers.
It is known to provide funnel shaped attachments adapted for mounting on the annular rim of paint cans in sealing engagement therewith. However, the paint container attachments of the prior art are not engaged to the can with a sufficiently secure attachment to prevent accidental/inadvertent disengagement of the sealing attachment from the can. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,107 issued Aug. 12, 1975 to Gaal discloses a generally funnel-shaped attachment for the top of a paint can which is designed to cover the groove formed in the top of the can. The device of the Gaal Patent relies upon a resilient snap fit retainer section that fits around the upper edge of the can to secure the attachment to the can.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,190 issued Jun. 17, 1952 to Wells teaches an annular paint can splash protector attachment that extends around and is attached to the top of a paint can. The splash protector of this device includes an inner skirt that extends into the can a short distance. The protector is secured in position on the can by means of a wire bail having its opposite terminals deflected outwardly to form trunnions for projection through openings in the skirt for engaging beneath and interlocking with the rim of the can. This form of attachment may become inadvertently/accidentally disengaged if the wire bail is deformed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,272 to Ballmann discloses a funnel-shaped attachment that attaches in a sealing manner to the top of a paint can. A flat rubber gasket is mounted in a horizontal shoulder of the attachment and fits into the upper annular groove of the paint can, shielding this groove from the paint. This attachment is secured to the top of the can by an elastic band which is mounted on the downwardly extending outer wall of the attachment. This band frictionally secures the member to the wall of the paint can. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved attachment for a paint can or other container that can be securely attached to the can or container.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided an attachment for a container for storing liquid, the container having a bottom and a peripheral side wall extending upwardly from the bottom to an upper peripheral annular rim that projects horizontally inwardly and defines a container upper opening. The attachment comprises an attachment body having an inner surface and an outer surface and a bottom edge portion engageable with the annular rim. The attachment body extends upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edge portion to an upper edge of the body. Releasable fastener means for connecting and locking the rim to the attachment body in a tight-fitting manner are provided. The fastener means are mounted on the attachment body and are located substantially within the attachment body. Use of the attachment on a container allows the liquid to be poured out of the container via the attachment. The fastener means can connect the attachment body to the rim by engaging the rim from below.
The preferred attachment is secured to the liquid container such as a standard paint can by releasable clip members which prevent inadvertent/accidental detachment of the tight-fitting engagement between the attachment body and the container.
According to another aspect of the invention, a pouring device is provided for a liquid container having an opening in a top of the container, the opening being surrounded by an inwardly projecting rim of the container. The pouring device comprises an annular body having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a bottom edge portion tightly engageable with the rim of the container during use of the pouring device. The annular body slopes upwardly and outwardly from the bottom edge portion to an upper edge of the body. Releasable clip members are movably mounted on the annular body and are adapted to connect the annular body to the rim so that the bottom edge portion tightly engages the rim when the pouring device is used. When the pouring device is attached to the container, liquid can be poured from the container via the pouring device.